Zorndorf, 25 August
1758: At a critical moment, King Frederick II of Prussia seizes
the Liebfahne of Fusilier Regiment Nr. 46 (Duke von
Württemberg) and personally leads his soldiers forward against
the Russian right wing (painting by Carl Röchling, 1904). In
this sanguinary battle, the bloodiest of the Seven Years War,
Frederick lost 12,800 men—a third of his army—while the Russians
lost 18,000 men. Frederick gained a narrow victory, but the
stout resistance of the Russian Army and the heavy casualties
shook him badly. "It's easier to kill these Russians than to
make them admit defeat," he later remarked. For more information
about the colors of Frederick the Great's infantry regiments,
see this page.
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